When it comes to cutlery, there are two kinds of cooks: cooks who love making good food, and cooks who love, and feel validated by, their knives. If you're the second kind of cook, you will spend a ton of money on knives that are actually more aggravation without functioning any better.
I have had pricey Japanese knives. Avoid them. Avoid Sabatier, Wusthof...all the expensive stuff. These knives are for knife hobbyists who think they're cooks. You know. The guys who think it's impossible to fix a decent hot dog without a Big Green Egg.
Japanese knives break in the dishwasher. If you're about to type, "You're not supposed to put knives in the dishwasher!", you're part of the problem. You're a knife-lover, not a cook. You ARE supposed to put knives in the dishwasher. Knives are supposed to serve you, not the other way around.
Knives with fancy handles don't last. You want NSF plastic, and it's a good idea to get different colors in order to avoid using the same knife on raw meat and salad.
If you think all professional cooks use $400 knives, you're wrong. Pro kitchens pay companies to collect and sharpen their plastic-and-stainless knives and bring them back. They don't want to pay their line cooks to sit around sharpening nakiris that cost as much as big-screen TV's.
If you think expensive knives hold their edges better, you're wrong when it comes to European knives. Japanese knives are hard, and they do hold an edge longer, but they're so fragile they're not worth it. European kitchen knives are softer than good-quality pocket knives. People who buy them are expected to be able to sharpen them repeatedly.
Forschner knives get top marks from America's Test Kitchen. They're tough. They're cheap. They take a razor edge in 5 seconds if you know how to use a diamond hone (you should). Mundial makes pretty much the same knives. There are other companies, too.
I gave away Shuns. They were atrocious. I still have a few Japanese knives I never use. I also have some fantastic cheap Chinese knives from Wok Shop. My $9 cleavers get so sharp, I can hold a paper towel out and pass one through it. They rust, though, so they don't see much use.
In addition to knives with smooth edges, you should get some serrated knives. Anthony Bourdain was an idiot, but he was right about this. A good serrated knife will do a lot of things better than a non-serrated knife, and you won't have to sharpen it. If it gets dull, spend $20 and get a new one. I'll post a link. These knives are wonderful for slicing onions and sandwiches and cutting bread.
Don't fall for the Gucci knife bug. It's like high-end audio. Intelligent, gullible people are out there paying thousands for silver cables to listen to music recorded with cheap copper. A knife is just a sharp piece of metal that cuts things. It's not an F1 car. It doesn't have to cost a lot.
I like good knives. I have a $200 knife in my pocket right now. In the kitchen, however, cheap knives rule.